“Have any of you performed a ritual spell before?” They all shook their heads in response. As far as Neska was concerned, if she had any ritual work under her belt–or tail, as might be the case, now–then it was likely forgotten. She at least understood the principles from what Risha had shared.
“Should we have?” Juni asked. “From my readings, anyone with a mana core can assist in a ritual. Witches and other ritual-focused classes can alter rituals: how they're cast, and the effects of them, or even enhance them drastically."
And some alterations come at too high a cost. Neska hoped [Ritual Infusion] was a power held by just her, and not others. It was better no one knew she had the option to take it.
But would her steadfastness hold out to Tier three? Four, even? Would the benefit of it soon outweigh the terrible cost it would incur? Could she even do that to someone? Even trying to justify it against hostile monsters...it felt like a stretch.
She welcomed the moment when Thistle moved on and pointed to the practice circle of salt currently surrounding them. It had to be drawn larger than normal to accommodate Neska, even with her tightly coiled. “Good trace on the circle. The closer it is to the ideal shape, the better the connection. You’ll note I haven't started any actual rituals yet; we’re just going through the motions of prep work. Trust me, it matters.”
The professor pointed to a jar of a powdery substance. “Tell me, Syra, what is that substance?”
“Powdered bone from a blade boar,” she answered. Thistle then pointed to another jar on the table filled with a milky substance within, and random whirls of silver banded into the mixture, and Syra squinted as if deep in thought. "That one is blood serum, separated by high-speed centrifugal force. Because mana is in solute in all classes and monsters, it is possible to separate it as a component.”
“Close but not quite. Mana requires additional alchemical processing to be fully separated. However, when in this raw form, it is suitable for specific rituals.”
Thistle pointed to the jar again. “You can often predict the effect of a ritual based on the focus item and the binding materials. Standard salt will produce fairly generic results and little chance of cross-reacting effects. It's considered a ‘clean’ binder. Not powerful, but predictable, and reliable.”
Reliability is good. Risha had always used mana-laden salt when she could, as it was always reliable and allowed for some less-than-perfect binding shapes in the ritual. Neska pointed to the circle. “Why test with actual materials if we aren't performing it today?”
“They’re cheap to produce and readily available. We can reliably farm blade boars, and salts are easy to procure from evaporating ocean water.”
Juni’s ears fell flat against her head. “Excuse me?”
Thistle continued as if nothing was wrong. “There's a small farm in the valley–”
“You farm monsters for alchemical and ritual components?” Juni’s whiskers twitched at this unexpected reveal, and she now wore a look of revulsion aimed at the powdered bone jar. “How is this ethical?”
“Uh, they're actively trying to kill all of humanity, and us?” Syra answered, unaware of how not okay Juni was with this. "As compensation, we get to use their corpses for magical components. That sounds totally okay."
“This is so not okay!” Juni shoved herself from the table, looking disgusted. “Are we actively slaughtering possibly intelligent monsters for their mana and other organs?”
“And is this any different from utilizing other domesticated animals to feed the masses, provide wool or pelts, or ivory for trade? By all measures, minus the Awakened, all Tier one monsters are considered feral.” Thistle's tone remained steady, but she clearly found the topic uncomfortable, by the way her brow scrunched.
Neska was busy with her own internal debate. Was Zhuren Tier one? Vivi, how would I know the exact level or Tier of a monster?
Unknown. But, there may be means of divining it.
Add it to my list of evolutions or witch powers to keep an eye out for. Maybe it’s on this tier, or the next one. Meanwhile, I need to stop Juni from having a breakdown moment.
Neska tapped Juni’s shoulder gently, trying to reassure her. “What the Varadur do is different from what humanity does. The boars in question are harvested for meat and lard for substance, and their bones serve as alchemical products. If the boars could speak…do you think anyone would be attempting to do all that to them?”
Juni narrowed her eyes. “This is a false equivalency. We are attempting to justify this by saying they don’t have feelings and are domesticated. What if the Awakened are exactly like the Tier one monsters, thinking but unable to express themselves? What about the humanoid tangent species like goblins, gnomes, gnolls, ogres, and more?”
“We don’t farm them for meat,” Thistle stated, a tick of annoyance presenting on her cheek. “Strangely, the boar in question has been a relatively easy monster to…domesticate. It was an ordinary boar at one point or another, but at one point, it became like the Varadur. The evolutionary journey of mundane animals to Varadur variants is a study by itself."
“So what separates which monsters we farm for ingredients, versus ones we don’t?” Juni demanded. “Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.”
“And harvesting them from monsters we fight in battle is different?” Neska asked in an edged tone. “Should we not seek every edge possible to preserve lives?”
“Not if we’re slaughtering them like a kill farm,” Juni growled. Neska wanted to snap back, but stopped. Marikand's ominous words resurfaced about turning the Awakened into kill farms. The difference was clear: the Awakened were reincarnated human souls.
But was that all that separated this argument? Just a difference of a soul?
Thistle sighed. “See that boar powder? The one you are saying comes from an unethical source? I agree, when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound pleasant. You are not the first student to say that, and I would be disappointed if you were the last to open a debate.”
It was strange to hear such an admission from the professor, from what Neska knew of her. “The practice ritual one would normally perform with this binder imbues our frontline soldiers with enhanced Endurance. A relatively simple, clean ritual with a duration that can last up to a full day, possibly two, depending on how cleanly the binder is applied and the focus used. It is a ritual that preserves the lives of many of our warriors, who risk their lives to ensure humanity continues to endure. There are other binders we can use, but this one is common, effective, and readily available.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
A few students from nearby stations were listening intently, and a few whispered to each other. They must have found it rather intriguing that an Awakened was making such a cutting point about sourcing their materials. “Professor Thistle, if I may?” A short girl with blonde hair tied back in a tight ponytail asked.
“Go ahead, Remi. While I don’t normally bring this up in class, everyone should be aware of the origins of our ritual materials. That includes minerals and biological sources.”
The student nodded politely before continuing. “If Miss Semou is correct, would this make us no less ruthless than the Varadur? Any means to victory?”
The professor shook her head. “I would hope that we would not stoop to any means of survival. There will always be pressure from others to use the resources we have available or pursue methods with great risks to give humanity an edge. There will be other sources where some binders and focals are mass produced; some from domesticated beasts, some from monsters. Some are as mundane as nature allows, from plants and fungi.
“It is okay to harvest materials from monsters that are actively trying to kill us, especially to research new ritual effects. There is an active interest in higher-tier monsters and what their essences can do. But I would expect any student in my class to object to the capture and slaughter of any intelligent monster purely for sport or harvesting alchemical ingredients.”
“So where is the line?” Neska asked, intrigued by this discussion. And what line did you draw, Risha, when you saved my life? Where did my tier five core come from? The one that expanded my soul core to a currently undocumented sixth tier capcity?
Thistle shrugged, head dipped low. “The line is where we collectively draw it. Consider this: if the Varadur were nothing more than an invading empire of humanoids such as Arivol, would we be doing the same thing? Would we harvest human bodies for cores or other ingredients?”
Neska saw many students shake their heads. But more worryingly, it wasn't everyone in the room. “So just because they’re monsters, it’s okay?” Neska asked in a pointed tone. Why did this logic feel so wrong?
“I think it will be up to you, individually. We will participate in field exercises to harvest ritual ingredients or perform them in the field, in preparation for your entry onto the frontline. Some will be easy decisions; For most, it's a simple matter of clipping a few petals from a rare plant or herb. Others…will not be so easy.” Thistle cleared her throat. “Well, that was a discussion I wasn’t planning, but I do commend Miss Semou for bringing it up.”
It softened Juni’s expression a little, but Neska saw her clenching her muzzle afterward, as the class continued.
“Ethically sourced monster guts,” Syra sighed. “I never want to say that phrase again, so long as I live.”
“I guess...If it’s trying to kill you first? Maybe that makes it justifiable to harvest its corpse for arcanist science?” Juni warmed to the idea.
“I find that rationale acceptable. As long as we’re not running an automated murder factory for mana products,” Neska said in a low tone that bordered on a hiss.
The monsters certainly weren’t opposed to doing horrific things, with no restraint on their part. She just hoped that whatever efforts Marikand had started had not become fully realized since she fled Peolein.
More importantly, she hoped her ethical opposition to it wasn’t from a subconscious, soul-deep regret of doing terrible things before she was reborn as a monster.
The rest of the ritual prep went swiftly. Neska pointed out to her peers how to draw straight lines on the binder etch, along with pre-tracing the runes using a charcoal pencil. Syra laughed as Neska traced it using a straight edge held with both hands, then used her tail to draw a straight line, and used a string and tape to draw perfect circles.
“Seriously, that’s the best use of a tail I’ve ever seen," Syra sighed contentedly.
“Tailsmenship is underrated. I had to get crafty when I couldn’t speak,” she explained, then frowned softly. “I think my handwriting is still inferior. Need to work on that. Agility doesn’t mean everything.”
Syra let out a bubbling laugh. “Girl, Attributes do not a person make.” She examined the line and the powder mixture. “Juni, that rune gel all set?”
The mouse girl frowned as she stirred a beaker, having had to pull a chair to be level with the bench. “Consistency looks good. It's a perfect aqueous blue, but it’s murky. I don't think all the particulates dissolved. It might not have been hot enough when we mixed it, or we used too much.”
Thistle came over after Juni raised her hand, and she examined the mixture. “Please describe what is not correct with the gel.”
“I believe it was under temperature, which did not allow all the binder to dissolve,” Juni answered.
The professor nodded. “Technically correct. It will work, but it may not be as efficient. The aqueous blue indicates the mixture is satisfactory, but the conductivity won’t be as good. I am glad you recognize that it is not 100% optimal. But, this being your first try, a good effort nonetheless.”
“Quality affects ritual potency, correct?” Syra asked, squinting at the gel.
“Correct. Impure ingredients and contaminants can affect the magical strength, leading to waste energy or a loss of mana. It’s a common occurrence. Similar contaminations and efficiency losses come from using dirty glassware when mixing,” she said, arms folded and reciting this as if it were a root cause checklist.
She went to a trio working on a similar circle, pointing to the powder. “Scattered dispersal and uneven. This means mana flows through it unevenly. If done poorly enough, it can cause unintended effects of the ritual. Molds and templates ensure consistency, but aren’t practical beyond a certain size. What should we do?”
“Uh…redo it?” One male student said, as if stumped on the answer.
“Correct. This may not be practical on non-ideal surfaces such as dirt, rock, grass, and the like. You can attempt to reshape it for a better consistency,” she cautioned. “But always keep in mind: the further from optimal, the less efficient the circle is at creating the intended effect, or the duration. Or it could burn out.”
“Define ‘burn out’, professor,” one girl asked, currently twirling her fingers through her wavy red hair.
“It could be bad in a way that the mana could leech out, cause a random effect…or cause an uncontained thermal event.” The girl’s eyes went wide, and she glanced anxiously at her runic circle.
In the back of Neska's mind, ‘Uncontained thermal event’ translated to ‘die a horrible death.’ Maybe she should have taken the [Wurm] evolution to avoid the chance of auto-incineration with some innate fire resistance.
Several minutes later, the class had finished, and Thistle examined the runic circles and the inscribed runes. Most had done well, though a few had sloppier-traced runes. Thistle examined the circle Neska and her team had laid out and nodded proudly. “Good first effort. I did mention the runic gel could use a touch more heat, but this would function as intended, with a small hit on efficiency.”
“Can a runic effect be cast on the caster?” Neska asked. "I presumed this effect would be cast on others.”
Thistle considered this carefully. “In general, ritual casts are for those of us looking to support from afar. Up-close casters with mobile ritual specializations exist. While potent, they present a risk of having beneficial boons suddenly disrupted at an inconvenient moment. But, yes, you can designate oneself as the target.”
Having some extra endurance might not be such a bad idea after all, in this instance. It sounded like alchemical solutions were quicker to pull off and could be on demand, if only for a shorter term. “I read some of the documented results of rituals, but…do we have any to locate specific monsters?”
“Yes and no. It’s easier if you have a focal item, something that belonged to them, or a sample of blood, fur, skin, or something personally identifiable to them. There may be casters within the Varadur’s ranks that perform different magic than us that can thwart such efforts and prevent locating or spying on them. Why?”
“Curosity.” Or more specifically, allowing me to find Marikand before he finds me. “Are there detailed records of all known ritual effects?”
“Ongoing. Even to this day, we discover new effects from different focals. Sometimes we just let the mana flow guide us to discoveries,” she said proudly.
After class, there was one last stop: Serkin’s office. When Neska explained it to Syra, she sighed. “Maybe it should be just the two of you.”
“Why?”
“According to you…this academy lost one of its best professors. And you’re all that’s left of her. Just saying, I don’t want to intrude on details you don’t need out in the open.”
Neska flicked out her tongue while considering the words. “Alright. And…thank you, Syra.”
“Hey, don’t mention it. You certainly keep it interesting, at the very least."
Just as they reached the threshold for the office building, Neska heard what sounded like a muffled explosion from within, startling Juni, and Syra went into her fluid form. Broken glass fell from the damaged frames, and there were more than a few shouts of surprise outside.
Neska surged forward on instinct. All three of them rushed past the double doors and into the building, with Syra letting out a sloshing shout. “Okay, I'll take it back! This is a touch too interesting!”
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